A campaign was launched last Friday with the goal of raising $150,000 by March 10. In the campaign video above, food truck don Roy Choi explains the concept behind Loco’l:

Loco’l is a fast food restaurant run by the best chefs in the world and the brightest minds in technology from California. Merging of those two together with the spirit and the soul of the grandmother to try to take care and feed everyone.

Chad Robertson (Tartine Bakery) and Rene Redzepi (NOMA)

Choi isn’t just bigging himself up when he talks about the best chefs in the world. The Indiegogo page reveals that NOMA’s Rene Redzepi and Chad Robertson of Tartine are part of Loco’l’s culinary crack team. They’re both involved in an advisory capacity, plus Robertson is helping supply Loco’l’s bread and developing a soft bun for their 99c burger.

While pillaging their personal rolodexes seems obvious, some might be surprised that the Choi and Patterson are crowdfunding. It’s worth bearing in mind that both chefs are already involved in other community-based initiatives, namely the Cooking Project and 3 Worlds Cafe, and that Loco’l is all about creating change in local communities. In the video, Patterson explains that their decision to crowdsource is as much about galvanizing support as raising dollars:

So, one of the things that we thought about Indiegogo was so many people wanted to do something, anything, and it was a way to start building a community. And it’s a way for people to start participating on a very low level but feel like they are a part of it and it’s their thing and they’re proud of it.

A $100 contribution gets you a signed copy of Choi, Patterson, or Robertson’s books.

Contributions start as low as $5 which earns donors a social-media shoutout. Perks at the higher tiers include a limited edition t-shirt, signed books, a beach hang with Choi, a shopping trip with Patterson, and—for $10,000—a private baking class with Tartine’s Chad Robertson.

The campaign raised 5% of its goal over the first weekend, so things are looking good so far. If you want to get involved, click here to donate $25 and ensure you’re one of the first people to try that 99c burger with the Tartine bun.

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